Policies

The DCM community is based on respect and cooperation.  Dancers should be able to enjoy the art of dance in a positive, healthy, and distraction-free environment. Students, parents, staff, faculty, and alumni are expected to abide by DCM's community standards for behavior.

The DCM community guides our students to build skills for life in an environment where honesty, integrity, and respect are taken seriously. All students are asked to abide by the following guidelines in all of their endeavors at DCM:

• All students will resolve conflicts peacefully
• All students will be honest and respectful to all members of the DCM community
• All students will demonstrate stewardship of DCM, including all school property, buildings around DCM, and the personal property of others.
• All students will abide by the principles of this code and the policies outlined in the DCM Student and Parent Handbook.
• All cell phones should be turned off during classes and rehearsals.
• No gum, food, or drink (except water) is permitted in any DCM studios.  
• Parents of dancers aged 12 and under must be present while their child is not in class. 
• DCM shall not be liable in any way for injuries sustained during attendance at the ballet school or any of its related functions. 

Students are expected to have the utmost respect toward fellow students, visitors, faculty, and staff. All community members should speak courteously to each other at all times. Abusive, profane, and disrespectful language is not acceptable at any time. Disruptive or distracting behavior in the hallways, studios, or other shared spaces is strictly prohibited. 

DCM reserves the right to take disciplinary action or require the expulsion of a student who does not comply with the rules of conduct, disregards major school regulations, violates the law, or lacks parental cooperation.

Parent Conduct

Parents are expected to be polite to all DCM students, faculty, staff, and other parents. Any rude or aggressive behavior from parents will not be tolerated. Use of offensive language or harassment toward any member of the DCM community will result in the dismissal of their child/children without a refund. Parents are prohibited from contacting or disciplining a student other than their own. Any questionable behavior must be directly reported to a DCM staff member immediately.

Reporting Incidents

Students and staff are mutually responsible for reporting any incidents that occur in and around DCM. Once aware of an incident, individuals must inform an appropriate DCM staff member. An incident report will be completed and forwarded to the Directors, parents, and any other parties deemed necessary.

Behavioral Misconduct

Violence, threats of violence, possession of weapons or items used in a dangerous fashion, and harassment of others will result in immediate suspension or expulsion of the student(s) involved. This includes any harassment or threat of violence via social media.

Instructor-Student Contact

DCM strives to offer teaching that is individual and “hands-on.” Under normal circumstances, it is appropriate for a faculty member to manually and physically position a student to improve technique. DCM never condones nor tolerates any touching of students by instructors that is harmful, professionally reckless, or that violates generally accepted tenets of propriety.

The progress of each student is monitored continuously throughout the year by the faculty and Directors. These individuals reserve the right to change a student’s level when appropriate. Students do not automatically advance to the next level at the end of each year. Placement and advancement are based on ability, not age.

Emotional maturity, physical development, comprehension, competency of execution, and body strength may require additional years of training at any given level. DCM’s faculty are not permitted to provide information regarding a student’s progress to any students and their parent(s)/guardian(s). Parents and guardians are strictly prohibited from requesting a level change for their child. Final-level changes are at the discretion of the Director. Parents should not, in any instance, contact faculty members about level placement. If it has been determined that a student should be assigned to a different level, a staff member will notify the parent(s)/guardian(s) of that change.

A student wishing to participate in the pre-professional program from another school must attend a placement class for proper evaluation. An evaluation class is free of charge. The student’s evaluation may be discussed with the dancer directly after class, or the DCM office will communicate this information at a later time.

Students are expected to arrive to DCM with sufficient time to properly prepare for classes each day. In the interest of injury prevention, DCM reserves the right to bar any student who arrives late from participating in the class. Consistent lateness constitutes grounds for dismissal. All missed lessons must be scheduled through the parent portal and made up within the session missed. Students who miss more than four performance/technique classes in a session may be removed from choreography and/or performance. No refunds will be given. Any student who is not prepared for class because of lateness, behavior problems, or inattention to the dress code may be asked by the teacher to sit and observe class instead of participating. 

Students with minor injuries or illnesses are required to observe all classes in the studios. A student will be excused from classes and rehearsals only in the case of serious illness, injury, or an emergency. Any student injury must promptly be reported to DCM at info@danceconservatoryofmd.com with the subject line INJURY. Students with injuries should seek the treatment of a medical professional before attempting to take class. Please ask the DCM office for a list of medical professionals in our area who have experience treating dancers and a form for them to fill out. We ask that you have your medical professional fill out the form indicating what dance movements are safe for your dancer to perform. When sent by a student, a parent or guardian must be cc’ed on this email. A medical professional must clear students with injuries before returning to class.

Classes missed due to illness or other unforeseen circumstances can be made up at a later date in another class of the same or lower level and can be scheduled through our parent portal. Make-up classes can only be scheduled in the same session as missed.

DCM considers the Harford County Public School system closings in its decisions concerning inclement weather closures but does not follow them. DCM is not responsible for classes canceled as a result of extreme weather conditions or other circumstances beyond the control of DCM. Students have the option to make up any missed classes in any other class, at the student's level or a lower level, by signing up through the parent portal.

DCM’s social media pages will be updated at least one hour prior to class time to reflect changes to the daily schedule due to inclement weather.

All individuals that enter the studio should be aware that we have security cameras that live stream video signal in the facility. Signage is posted when entering the building. Per Maryland law, camera are clearly visible and record no audio. These cameras also have the ability to record video. These recordings are solely for security purposes and will not be available to the public. Surveillance videos will only be available to the studio owner, the police and to legal representative(s) in the event of a crime on or to studio property.

There is nothing more important to us than our students' safety! 

To cut down on congestion and ensure classes begin and end promptly at our new location, we will receive and release students as follows:

Dancers age 12 and under

Dancers aged ten and under must be accompanied by an adult when entering or exiting the facility—no exceptions. We do not recommend that students younger than 12 go outside anywhere without supervision. Please discuss this policy with your dancer, before the beginning of their class. Do not allow your child to wear dance shoes outside the studio. We will assist young dancers with and remember this is for their safety.
 

All parents/guardians should park in the DCM lot to the left of the building. Students should be walked inside the front door no earlier than 10 minutes rough the front door shoe changes during class.
 

Students must arrive no earlier than 10 minutes before the beginning of their class. Do not allow your child to wear dance shoes outside the studio. We will assist young dancers before the beginning of each class, and they are required to stay with their parent or guardian until they are received into the dance studio. Late arrivals should enter the studio room quietly, as their class is already in session.
 

If a parent or guardian picks up more than 5 minutes late, their dancer will be seated in the lobby. If an emergency occurs hindering timely pick up, please notify the office. Students should remain in the waiting area until their parent/guardian arrives and not at the front desk area or outside the studio.
 

If a parent or guardian is late more than three times when picking up their dancer, they will be charged $10 per occurrence for each time they are more than 15 minutes late again. The studio is not responsible for caring for children not picked up on time.
 

Dancers age 13+

Dancers aged 13 and up may be dropped off in the designated drop-off area in front of the building and should enter through the front door entrance. Please refer to the map provided below.
 

Students should wait in the building after class to be picked up. Parents/guardians are asked to pick up dancers one of two ways:

1. Dancers aged 13 and up may be picked up in the designated pick-up area in front of the building. Dancers will exit the DCM doors once they see their parent/guardian through the front windows. Please refer to the map provided below. We ask that parents drive in front of the building and pull up to the designated pick-up area.
2. Parents/guardians may enter the front doors to pick up dancers and should park in the DCM lot to the left of the building.

There is NO supervision of dancers before or after classes or rehearsals. Generally, there is a person at the front desk area during office hours for administrative and customer service. However, the presence of someone at the front desk cannot be guaranteed.
 

DCM notes that some dancers may wish to leave the studio and visit restaurants like Subway or Panera. DCM accepts no responsibility or liability for students leaving the building. Dancers who leave the building unsupervised do so at their own risk.

Male students ages six and up receive a full scholarship if enrolled in at least one weekly ballet technique class. Boy's/Men's class and one recreational class are required to receive the scholarship. Participation in the June Concert is also required. 

Male students taking recreational program classes receive a 50% scholarship (including Creative Movement and PreBallet & Tap). 

Male scholarships do not cover registration fees, performance classes, costumes, summer programs, or Ballet Chesapeake fees.

Work/Study scholarships are limited for families and dancers at the advanced level of study. They are available to assist with studio maintenance and/or administrative duties. Please contact the school office for details.